DA:O  Even Stone Can Bleed
by LadyGreatSkullZero
Summary: Emelia Cousland ventures into the heart of the fabled thaigs of legend with her companions to seek out the paragon Branka. The warden gains insight past Oghren's strong-as-stone facade with plenty of Morrigan v Alistair banter along the way. Mild romance.


"Crawlers, they go hungry now the dark ones have left." The crazed dwarf gurgles as he scratches furiously at the backs of hands "The dark master calls to his children, such a beautiful voice..."

Oghren grunts sharply "Must be talking about the archdemon."

Emelia Cousland frowns and shares an unnerved glance with Alistair, their Grey Warden intuition flaring at the mere mention of the archdemon. Clearing her throat, she addresses the estranged dwarf again, smiling as he looks at her with haunted but endearing eyes "Ruck, when you came to this camp, did you come across anything strange?"

"The boy's delusional," Morrigan intercepts, sighing "you could ask anything of him and he will answer in incoherent drawls."

Ruck's left eye twitches and he shifts his gaze from Emelia to the backs of his hands, red raw from years of insistent picking "Pretty lady has kind eyes," he glances at her sheepishly with a shy smile, a blush encroaching on his rough, pockmarked cheeks "they's like the glowing of hundreds of lyrium fireflits."

Shifting uncomfortably under the dwarf's stare and seeing she will not be able to find out anything more, Emelia forces another smile "You are such a gentleman Ruck. I want to thank you for letting me talk with you."

Alarm flashes in Ruck's eyes "P-pretty lady not go yet! The... The crawlers they take things – many things. Shiny and steel things. Papers and they... they take the words."

"Words?" Oghren mutters. He furrows his brow "Could he be referring to notes? Branka always did that: write down every sodding thing to do with the thaigs..." he pauses and casts his eyes downwards "Still got piles of her blasted papers at home..." And although he grumbles the last few words, Emelia cannot help but overhear. Had she not know better, she would have clasped Oghren on his broad shoulders and assured him they would find Branka – but doubt weighs heavy and it is not her place to make promises she may not be able to keep.

Morrigan claps her hands together and announces with mocking bluster "Then it seems the practical decision would be to charge deep into the spider's lair, bellowing out bravados."

Alistair looks at her with a sneer "Are you suggesting the best course of action instead would be strolling along the creepy-crawly's caverns, rapping on their queen's chamber door and simply ask her for the papers back – of course not before apologising for interrupting her evening meal?"

Morrigan returns the glare with mutual contempt "I am simply letting it be known that chasing arachnids is an improper use of our time."

With a gruff snort, Oghren turns to face the discerning witch "What else do you suppose we do, huh? This is the only lead we got."

Emelia could not care less about the backwards politics of Orzammar, nor the disputes between Bhelen and Harrowmont. And although she must if the dwarves are to join in arms against the encroaching Blight, Emelia is determined to find Branka for Oghren over all else: in two years the wounds of loss have burrowed so deep within him and she is determined to alleviate his pain, though she knows none other can see it as she does. Alas, she must upkeep her practical facade, for the sake of holding the main party together.

With a regretful glance at Oghren, Emelia steels herself and speaks simply "Venturing into the spider's lair is our only option. Leaving the Deeps Roads without finding Branka means the dwarves will continue in their political strife, unable to provide aid against the blight whilst they squabble."

Even though Emelia can feel Oghren's enraged glare boring into her back, she smiles down at Ruck and thanks him again for his help. Her mind flashes to Filda, the boy's woeful mother desperate to find her young Ruck again. He can't be brought back to her, not like this. The skittish dwarf grins shyly and proceeds to watch the group depart before scuttling away, his gibbering barks echoing from long down the pitch-black tunnels.

Feeling betrayed and foolish for believing the Warden genuinely wished to help him find Branka, Oghren stays behind the group, eyes narrow and angry beneath his mighty brow, the skin of his fists stretched mercilessly tight over irately clenched knuckles. If it was not for the clinking and shunking of heavy armour, Emelia may have just been able to her the grinding of his teeth.

As they cross a large clearing where several tunnels meet, the decision on which route to take does not take long: one of the openings, oblong in shape, resembles a jagged gaping maw with sinew-like tendrils of thin web creeping out along the walls like reaching fingers. Although small, the tunnel entrance looks to swallow anyone who gets too close.

Undaunted, the group presses on. It's darker than the rest of the tunnels, no torches on the walls nor cracks in the rock above although the rocks emit a dull purple hue. Sunlight has probably never graced this rocky passage, and yet the walls give off an almost warming hum of weak energy. Even Oghren shivers as goosebumps tingle over his arms.

"... Erm,"

"Ah, I was wondering how long t'would be before Alistair began shaking in his templar boots." Morrigan remarks shrewdly.

Alistair curls his lip in response and huffs "I don't know what you're talking about. I wasn't going to say anything."

"You can cover it up whatever way you wish, animals can smell fear and spiders are no different." She looks at him over her shoulder, her eyes flashing a shade of shadowy green.

His hackles up, Alistair points an accusing finger at her, grabbing Emelia's arm to bring her to a clumsy halt "I knew it! I thought you would betray us at some point!"

Morrigan turns to face him and folds her arms, amused "Do not let me stop you, voice your accusation."

"She's a shapeshifter." Alistair continues with renewed vigour "She can turn into a spider. Who's to say her initial opposition to this spider-killing idea wasn't a rouse to lure us into a trap!"

A little bewildered by the templar's eagerness and even slightly wavered by such a possibility, Emelia looks from Alistair to Morrigan. After a moment's contemplation, she shrugs "Alistair could be right. I mean, you can shapeshift into a spider."

Morrigan's eyes narrow, suddenly thinking that the girl may actually believe the dim-witted templar.

"But I'm sure if an attempt on our lives, if any, was planned..." Emelia looks at Alistair and shakes her head "She would have done so much sooner. Definitely not deep underground where escape by oneself is practically impossible."

Alistair frowns indignantly and throws an arm in Morrigan's direction "She could easily live it up here with these spiders. Maybe she was waiting all along for us to get here so she could-"

"Enough!" Oghren bellows, his gravelly roar shaking the very walls of the darkened passage, dust motes flitting down overhead "Quit your bickering, else I'll end it myself!" he shoves past Emelia and stomps ahead, grumbling about how all humans gwabble like new-born nugs.


End file.
